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Sleep School Lesson 5: Which is better for you; More Sleep or Exercise?

Good afternoon class. I do hope you enjoyed your half term break and that you’re now back, you’re ready to make some new discoveries.

It seems to be the endless struggle that any of us face when we are trying to get in to better shape. The alarm goes off early in the morning and all the good intentions we had when we set that alarm last night seem to have disappeared. And as we lie there, all cosy and warm in our bed, we ask ourselves what really is better for our health; getting those few extra zzzz’s or dragging ourselves out of bed and getting out to do some exercise before the day begins? Let’s look at both sides.

Here at Soak&Sleep, we are very much the flag bearers for a nice lie in. We know that getting those precise extra few minutes in bed can help to improve our mental and physical state. Ensuring that we get a full night’s sleep means that we are alert, our memory is much better and we can concentrate more. On a physical level, it’s boosts our immunity, helps us stay slim, increases our fertility and helps decrease our chances of heart disease and diabetes. From this, it would seem that sleep would be the activity we should be opting for. But, as much as we love sleep, we need to provide the argument for getting up and exercising.

That snooze button may be so tempting, but let’s hold our horses. Getting ourselves out of bed for an early morning jog or cycle does have it’s benefits too. It helps to boost our base line energy levels by delivering oxygen and nutrients to our body tissues and helps our cardiovascular system work more efficiently. This, paired with the fact that it helps boost our mood and also increases our metabolism so that we can lose weight more easily. And (here’s the one we like especially), it’s improves our quality of sleep. Perfect!

So now we have given both sides to this debate, we have to decide which to go with. More sleep or to get up and at ’em? Well, to put it simply, the answer is both! There is no reason to get any less sleep if you want to get in shape. Those extra 30 minutes in bed in the morning can be made up by going to bed 30 minutes earlier at night. Plus, they are mutually beneficial. By exercising you will get a better night’s sleep, and by getting a better night’s sleep, you’ll be able to exercise harder and for longer! (We’ve actually touched on this previously in our first lesson of Sleep School)

So there you have it. Have the best of both world’s. Get those extra zzzz’s AND start the day with a athletic spring in your step.